Rays' respond to traffic and parking concerns

As expected, the Rays have transmitted a response to the city's parking and traffic concerns. In short:

• The Rays consultant continues to feel it is not necessary to construct a 3,500-space parking garage.
• And the team got two new letters of interest from private companies that the Rays say could generate an additional 4,000-to-5,000 parking spaces for baseball.
• In particular, the downtown Hilton said it would "seriously consider" building a multi-story parking garage at its facility if the Rays' plans are approved.

Read the report for yourself here (There's much discussion about how far people are willing to walk to the game).

Comments

[Rick K]

Aaron, thanks for yet another excellent update. You rock!

[Rick K]

Both the City's report, and the report of the City's independent parking analyst concluded that "the Phase I report prepared by RK&K (hired by the Rays, at the team's expense) was well prepared and extremely thorough, and that providing information with this level of detail at such an early stage in the process was commendable."

So, who are we to believe?

The experts hired by the City?

The professinals on City staff?

Or the spinmiesters who are determined to defeat these proposals no matter how many lies they have to tell?

[Ray F]

Aaron,

Likewise, great addition. I think this shows that the Rays are seriously addressing every issue brought up and shows a genuine concern for keeping the Rays in St Pete. Now it's up to us, as residents to vote yes. They are giving us everything we ask for.

It would not be a valid argument to expect the team to pay for the stadium without public funding. No other team will pay for their own stadium based on the fact that all they have to do is toss the relocate bait out and let another city take it.

Call it scare tactics, call it threats. I call it closing a location and opening another.

[Rays report proves how pigs can actually fly]

You can quote any parking study you want, the people of St. Pete aren't stupid and WE AREN'T going to approve this stadium plan.

I'm willing to put money on it, any takers?

I'll bet $1000 for starters, who's in?

[Ray F]

but, isn't the parking revenues one of the main issues that is keeping people from wanting to vote on the issue?

take the waterfront out of the equation and the same people would be crying the same garbage about different "answers" they need to approve.

[Thomas]

"They are giving us everything we ask for."

Actually, I dont see anything in there about how they're going to get the $50M or so required for construction.

The Rays still haven't produced a Lease Term Sheet.

"all they have to do is toss the relocate bait out"

It would help if they had a viable relocatoin option. It would also help if they didn't have a lease that runs through 2027.

"It would not be a valid argument to expect the team to pay for the stadium without public funding."

It alos would not be a valid argument to have the Rays contribution be a mere $150M over 30 years.

Ray F, you're just more easily satisfied than most.

The team needs to step up.

[PS]

This is great news. Private parking lot operators will make their lots available to the game attendees!

Will they donate their proceeds to build the stadium?

[PSS :)]

Maybe they can donate their lots to build the stadium on too!

[Rays Mike]

Wasn't the parking component of the original proposal that the Rays are going to prepay for those private parking spots? It's a win-win for all - the private lots get a sellout every night, and there is more inventory for the Rays to buy = more money towards the constuction costs.

BTW: Is it physically impossible for one side or the other to admit that any points against their position might actually be valid, and not just dismissed as spin or lies???

[Physically Impossible, Yes]

Rays Mic,

I don't want that huge stadium on the waterfront.

I won't hear any arguments otherwise, they matter ZERO to me.

If they choose another location, then I'll consider their arguments.

[Ray F]

hahahahahaha...

I agree with the opposition in thinking the deal could be better for the city if they manned up and flat out rebutted a different plan asking for more money from the Rays towards the stadium.

I think it needs to be handled more as a negotiation but we have a bunch of rubes in city council that wouldn't know how to negotiate their way out of a paper bag.

[Rays Mike]

Physically:

Can I ask why?

[Richard Pryor]

Rick K-
I thought Tatum O'Neal rocks. I didn't know about Aaron.

[Bill Hornbeck]

If we conclude that we must build a new waterfront stadium, then we should close Albert Whitted airport and build the new waterfront stadium on that land. Very few Pinellas County citizens use this airport. There is enough land there to cover the stadium and parking needs. The location of the stadium there to the south on the Albert Whitted airport location would cause less traffic to the downtown area. It would block less of the current view of the waterfront. Traffic could feed off of the south 475 to this area. There would be no need to build into the bay. Thus, there would be no or less environmental concerns. It may cost less to build there, because you would not need to build in tightly confined area. You may have more pure waterfront view from that area. It would develop the south side of the downtown which needs it more than the downtown. It would not disrupt business downtown.

Yours truly,
Bill Hornbeck

[Ray F]

Great idea Bill. I'm all for it. I think it's actually a fantastic idea. You can put it on the north end of the Airport and it would blend in seamlessly with the original waterfront idea.

Now just get it past Steve Lange and his cronies who shoved Albert Whitted down our throats.

[Rays Mike]

I'm all for looking into it as well.. Would a referendum still be required to convert the land for a stadium? Is there enough land to keep the airport open as well? How much further of a walk is it south from Al Lang??

[Kyle]

Yeah. Great idea. And move the water treatment plant to the area that Al Lang sits on now.

[Paul]

This just in: No New Stadium ~!

now return to your pointless discussion over parking cause it ain't getting built on the waterfront.

[Jimbo]

And the self-proclaimed "hate sports-watch, love sports-doing" Paul strikes again. If you have nothing intelligent to add, say nothing at all.

[Rays Mike]

Paul - Why are YOU against the stadium? Do you live downtown?

[Will Ferrell]

Maybe we can build a parking garage selling cowbells. The more cowbells we sell, the more parking room we'll have. Am I right folks?

Bring on the cowbell.

[Paul]

I am against the stadium because it is completely out of scale with the waterfront.... not 'human scale' by any means. That and the billion or so dollars that us Citizens will have to take the risk on, which creates almost zero decent paying jobs. It is not economically viable for the City, in my opinion, and it is an insult to our waterfront/park system to propose such a monstrosity. Parking may be possible on occasions but it will suck the life out of any and every other event happening at the same time. Downtown is doing quite fine. They got the Trop and all that land around it with lots and lots and tons of vacant land available nearby, so make it work there.

[Paul]

and no, i don't live downtown but i do work there.. i live 1 mile north/west of downtown and own property within a few blocks of the Trop.

[Ray F]

i say we stop bickering and arguing, because if I know government as well as I think I know it... this will get on the ballot and it's going to go to a vote anyway.

all the council members are going to just push themselves away from this issue right, wrong, or indifferent.

that being said... Will you know what to do here.

[Rays Mike]

What does that mean, not in scale with the waterfront? How will the stadium impact the waterfront parks from north of Straub Park to the yacht club - The park of the park system that is actually a PARK? I walked around that "waterfront park" you call Al Lang the other day, and I saw a big parking lot, and an empty stadium - and nobody within sight..

I guess by your arithmetic none of the construction jobs created over the next 5 - 8 years by the stadium and Trop redevelopment will be "decent paying jobs?" Pretty elitist statement, if you ask me... And you are completely dismissing the property tax that will be created by the Trop redevelopment? Because the recession that we are in will last forever, and the real estate market will never rebound, right?